Pleat sewing guide



March 4, 1969 s. KENDALL PLEAT SEWING GUIDE Sheet Filed June 7. 1967 INVENTOR. Svava Kendall March 4, 1969 s. KENDALL PLEAT SEWING GUIDE Sheet 2 of 2 Filed June 7 Svava Kendall Ano rney United States Patent Ofiice 3,430,591 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The pleat sewing guide is adjustable to determine the correct Spacing and desired depth of pleat on drapery and the like. A flat sewing guide is provided at one end thereof with a transverse head or a cross-head elongated which latter has a channel in its top and a pair of threaded guide pins extended from the channel spaced on opposite sides of the sewing guide leg; a pair of movable or adjustable legs are spaced on the opposite sides of the fixed sewing guide; one of the adjustable legs is adjusted to indicate the depth of the pleat and the other leg is adapted to engage the next preceding pleat to determine the spacing of the pleats.

Brief d scription of the invention The adjustable sewing guide for draperies or drapery pleater is preadjusted to a desired depth and spacing of pleats and facilitates the sewing down the pleat along a fixed guide while the guide is held in a predetermined position relatively to the preceding pleat and the doubled portion of the material forming the next pleat thereby assuring accurate spacing and depth of pleat and also provides a guide for straight sewing of the seam for the pleat, and thereby obviating the difficulty in the pleating of draperies encountered because of the crinoline and doubled thickness in the heading and enabling even the inexperienced sewer to do an accurate, professional-looking pleat with minimum effort.

Description of figur s FIG. 1 is a developed view of the parts of the pleat sewing guide.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assembled pleat sewing guide.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the pleat sewing guide.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the head of a drapery with the pressure foot of the sewing machine in position thereon for sewing a seam for a pleat.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the pleat sewing guide about to be placed in position on the head of the drapery.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pleat sewing guide in position in a previous pleat and with the material folded under and around the spacer leg of the sewing guide, the position of the pressure foot and guide in operative position fully inserted being shown in broken lines.

Detail d description The drapery pleater and sewing guide in the herein illustrated embodiment includes a fixed sewing guide leg 1 which is preferably flat with a straight guide edge or side 2. A transverse head or crosshead 3 is on one end of the sewing guide 1. This crosshead 3 is also flat and it is at right angles to the sewing guide 1 so that when the crosshead is placed against the edge of the material, as shown in FIG. 6 in broken lines, then the sewing guide 1 is located at right angles to the edge of the material. In the top of the crosshead 3 is an elongated channel 4. Threaded guide pins 5 and 6 extend from the channel 4 spaced in opposite directions from the sewing guideleg 1.

An adjustable leg 7, in this illustration used for determining the depth of the pleat, will be herein referred to as the depth measuring leg 7. The depth measuring leg 7 has a transverse head 8 extended from an end thereof. The transverse head 8 has a slot 9 in it which latter rides on the guide pin 5. The transverse head 8 is flat and is slideable in the adjacent portion of the channel 4. A washer 10 and a .knurled knob 11 on the guide pin 5 can be loosened or tightened at will respectively to allow the adjustment of the position of the depth measuring leg 7 and the securing of the leg 7 in the adjusted position.

Another leg 12 will be hereinafter referred to as pleat spacing leg 12, has a transverse head 13 at one end thereof with an elongated slot 14 thereof slideable over the adjacent guide pin 6. The transverse head 13 is flat and is slideable in the other end portion of the channel 4 and can be secured in adjusted position by another washer 15 and knob 16 on the threaded guide pin 6.

The depth measuring leg 7 and the pleat spacer leg 12 are shown round to facilitate the insertion thereof in operative position. The side of the crosshead 3 adjacent the guide edge 2 of the sewing guide leg 1 is cut away to form a pocket or recess 17 of such dimension as to accommodate the presser foot therein so that the stitching by the machine can begin from the adjacent edge of the material against which the edge of the crosshead 3 is placed. On the top edges of the crosshead 4 are suitable calibrations or markings 18 which cooperate with the respective ends of the transverse heads :8 and 13 to indicate the calibration or measurement respectively of the depth and spacing of the pleats.

In operation to make the first pleat, the fabric is placed on the sewing machine right side up, and viewing FIGS. 4 and 5 the person operating the sewing machine would be located at the top of said figures looking toward the presser foot 19 of the sewing machine so that the heading 20 of the drapery material 21 is being fed under the presser foot 19 from right to left, viewing FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

To make the first pleat the operator begins with the lower corner shown in FIG. 4 which would be the lefthand corner viewing FIG. 4 from the direction of the arrow A. The fabric is then pulled to the left viewing FIG. 4 from the direction of the arrow A and the depth measuring leg 7 is slipped under the fabric. The fabric is pulled to the left and then turned under around the sewing guide leg and then back under the sewing guide leg and the depth measuring leg far enough to allow sufiicient space for drapery return. Then the depth measuring leg 7 is adjusted to be spaced from the sewing guide leg 1 to a distance corresponding to the desired depth of the pleat. Then the sewing guide leg is placed next to the presser foot 19 at the measured distance to guidethe presser foot 19 for stitching the first scam. I

Thereafter the operation continues for each pleat the following way:

The pleat spacer leg 12 is slipped into the completed pleat 22, being allowed to fall to the left viewing FIG. 5 from the direction of the arrow A. The spacing is measured by sliding the cross-head 3 to the desired distance from spacer leg 12 and then the knob 16' is tightened to secure the leg 12 in the adjusted position; thereafter the spacer leg 12 is held in the pleat 22 in the position shown in FIG. 5 and the material is pulled around the depth measuring leg 7 and back under the head 20 and material 21 as shown in FIG. 6 and the material is aligned with the presser foot 19 so that the presser foot 19 is in the pocket 17 as shown in FIG. 6; and finally the head 20 of the material 21 is moved away from the position indicated by the arrow A under the presser foot 19 while sewing the seam 23' as the presser foot 19' is guided by the sewing guide leg 1 as shown in FIG. 6. After the seam 23 is completed the sewing guide and pleat spacer device isremoved. The newly formed pleat 22 is turned toward the completed pleats, namely to the left viewing FIGS. 5 and 6 from the direction of the arrow A. The spacer leg 12 is placed into the turned end of the pleat 22 and the sewing guide leg 1 is placed over the material, while the depth measuring leg 7 is placed under the material, whereupon the material is turned around the depth measuring leg 7 as shown in FIG. 6 and the device is completely pushed into the dotted line position shown in FIG. 6 so that the inner edge of the cross-head 3 is against edge 24 of the heading 20; then the turned material with the guide is brought into the position next to the presser foot 19 in the pocket 17 and the sewing proceeds along the guide edge 2 of the sewing guide leg 1 as heretofore described to complete the next pleat. This operation is repeated as many times as needed and assures even the inexperienced sewer accurate spacing and depth of pleats and also a sewing guide for sewing straight pleats, and will facilitate doing a professional looking pleat with minimum effort.

I claim:

1. In a pleat sewing guide,

(a) a fiat transverse head, an edge of said head being engageable by an edge of the material to be pleated,

(b) a sewing guide leg extended at right angles from said edge of said head and substantially in the plane of said head, and overlying said material and being adapted to move along the presser foot of the sewing machine adjacent to the needle of the sewing machine for guiding the sewing of said material,

(c) a pleat depth measuring leg spaced from one side of said sewing guide leg and being parallel therewith and being adapted to be placed into the turned end of a completed pleat to determine spacing of the seam for the next pleat.

(d) a pleat spacing leg spaced from the other side of said sewing guide leg and being parallel therewith whereby the material from under said guide leg is foldable over said depth measuring leg and turned back upon itself under said guide leg to be sewn at 40 said seam as the material with said head and guide leg is being moved toward and under said presser foot,

(e) and means to adjustably connect respectively said depth measuring leg and said spacing leg to said transverse head.

2. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 1, and said means to adjustably connect the respective legs including (f) a head on the pleat depth measuring leg and on the pleat spacing leg adjustable on said transverse head,

(g) and releasable means to secure said heads of said measuring and spacing legs in adjusted positions on said transverse head.

3. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 2, and

(h) said heads and said legs being of a thickness fitting under the presser foot of a sewing machine.

4. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 2, and

(h) said transverse head having a channel therein at right angles to said legs, and said adjustable heads being slideable in said channel for adjusting the spacing of the adjustable legs from said sewing guide leg.

5. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 4, and

(i) calibrations on said transverse head coacting with said adjustable heads to indicate the depth and spacing of the pleats corresponding to the adjusted spacing of said adjustable legs.

6. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 4, and

(i) said transverse head having a recess therein adjacent said sewing guide leg to accommodate the presser foot of a sewing machine at the beginning of sewing along said sewing guide leg.

7. The pleat sewing guide defined in claim 4, and said releasable means including,

(i) guide elements spaced from opposite sides of said sewing guide leg and projecting from said channel,

(j) each adjustable head having a longitudinal slot therethrough parallel with said channel and being movable over the adjacent projection for adjusting the respective adjustable heads, and

(k) a releasable clamping element on each guide element for fastening the respective adjustable head in adjusted position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 145,482 12/1873 Bean 112-146 408,258 8/1889 Pearsall 112-146 414,149 10/1889 Freedman 112-146 2,966,129 12/1960 Ratlilf 112-146 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examin r. 

